Identity Theft: Revamped
by NateGold
Summary: A shocking occurrence at NERV has major reprecussions. A new look at Gendo.


Identity Theft: Reprised

Identity Theft: Reprised.

By Nategold

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis is the sole property of Gainax, ADV films and Anno.

I make no money off this work of fiction, although I could use it.

A/N: Haven't had a lot of motivation lately to write anything. 2 heart surgeries in as many years on my daughter is quite a dampener. So is being on the graveyard shift. I finally got back to work on "Thousand ships", but found myself stuck on a couple of the chapter story arcs. So, decided to revisit an old friend, tweak it a bit, and see how badly I can mess with people's heads again. Can't guarantee when I'll update again, but thanks for all your patience, and all constructive criticism welcome.

PRELUDE.

Now:

Inside the depths of NERV, a secure med-lab was under heavy guard. Inside, the assassin lay on top of a gurney, arms and legs restrained. An I.V ran into his arm, a combination of drugs, nutritional supplements and sedatives steadily feeding into his bloodstream. Machinery monitored his vitals closely, recording the slightest variation in pulse, respiration, blood pressure and cerebral functions. Outside this nexus of calm, chaos reigned supreme. Section two had made several dmands to interrogate the prisoner, only to be rebuffed by not only Dr. Akagi, but the Vice Commander himself. The bridge crewmembers were in various states of shock at the violence just witnessed, Maya Ibuki retching violently into a corner waste bin. The Pilots along with their guardian were escorted back to quarters under tightened security. Through it all, the cause of this havoc rested peacefully, a maddening smile on his face.

Earlier:

Ever since second impact, the weather patterns had been erratic to say the least. Tokyo-3 was a land of eternal summer, with temperatures ranging from warm, to hot, to downright intolerable. Naturally, people responded as they have for decades…turn up the A/C as high as they could get it. In any normal city, power outages would be an expected inconvenience. For Tokyo-3, a fortress city at war with the heavens, a power outage would be cataclysmic. And with the 9th angel approaching and the Geofront completely without power, a cataclysm seemed inevitable.

In the control room, a state of barely controlled chaos existed. Fyutsuki presided over this, demanding updates. "The standby circuit isn't operating", Shigeru anxiously reported.

Fyutsuki, incredulous, stated "That can't be! How are the operating circuits?"

"1.2 percent in all. Only 9 circuits from No. 2567" replied a female tech.

Fyutsuki deliberated for a microsecond before announcing his decision.

"Use all operational power supplies to maintain the Magi and central dogma", he barked.

"But that will interfere with life-support in the entire building", Shigeru protested

"That's fine", Kozo rasped, his tone brooking no argument. "This is a top priority issue."

This decision proved to have unexpected consequences. NERV, in many ways mirrored the minds and souls of its commander and 12 who considered themselves his superiors. The headquarters was a twisted labyrinth of levels and corridors containing all manner of labs, workshops and storerooms. During the growth and myriad changes NERV had undergone, whole floors had been closed off. Others had simply been forgotten. One such level adjacent to Terminal Dogma had remained undisturbed for over a decade, dust lying thick over everything. In a long neglected lab, a tall glass cylinder stood, containing a viscous, softly glowing orange fluid. The naked figure of a man floated inside, frozen in stasis like a fly caught in amber. At the moment the power was turned off, the backup systems tried to fail over to auxiliary power, only to fall victim to a severe case of dust contamination. Massive cross circuiting occurred, with an unexpected result; the cylinder partially retracted, spilling its contents onto the floor. The momentary silence was broken by a painful gasping and coughing as lungs not used in years struggled to bring in life-giving oxygen, while ejecting what remained of the gelid liquid.

As the man lay there, he slowly became aware of sensations; cold, hunger, the smooth texture of the floor, the foul smell of the fluid coating him. And with the awareness, soon came memory, and long suppressed fury. He slowly dragged himself over to a nearby cot, tearing the sheet off and wrapping himself in it, before struggling painfully to his feet, holding onto the wall for support, attempting to walk. Falling over several times, he finally managed to wobble to his feet, taking his first halting steps out into the hall, away from his long-time prison. Survival was the primary goal; food, clothing, shelter, all else could wait.

Subsequent events have been chronicled elsewhere about the sortie by the pilots leading to the destruction of the 9th and the restoration of power. Eventually, things returned to normal, or as normal as things ever got around NERV. A month passed.

Three figures rode a private lift up to the command deck. There was still much to prepare for regarding the much anticipated excursion to recover a long sought artifact.

"So there is no doubt…?" The terse inquiry was directed at Dr. Akagi.

"None. Magi confirm with the probability of 99.998 based on carbon dating, metallurgical and DNA evidence presented."

"Excellent. Soon, we shall hold all the cards. Fyutsuki, contact the fleet. Confirm readiness for departure in two days time."

"Ikari, about this promotion of Captain Kasuragi…?"

Gendo waved off Fyutsuki's query. "One must occasionally throw one's dog a bone. It will hopefully cease her prying into things that need not concern her. Anything else?"

"Security is investigating a string of minor thefts from various supply rooms. It appears the incident with the 9th allowed an intruder access."

"Find this annoyance and see that it is questioned and then properly disposed of."

At that moment, the doors of the lift opened. The three started towards the commander's station, and then froze. Someone was seated there, back to the lift. An intruder? On the command deck? Impossible!

The chair and its occupant chose that moment to swivel around and face them.

"Hello."

The expression on the Commander's face was one that had never been seen before. It was a combination of utter shock…and fear.

"YOU…!" was the only word that managed to pass his lips before the boom of a .44 calibre automag had cannon split the air, spinning parabellum shredders tearing a gaping hole through his chest. His now lifeless form collapsed into the growing pool of crimson on the floor.

"Goodbye." The word was uttered with cold mockery. The killer gazed a few moments at the body before continuing. "Ten years, you bastard! But don't worry…you'll soon have plenty of company in hell." Through it all, as alert klaxons blared and security arrived, Fyutsuki and Ritsuko remained frozen to the spot, as the assailant raised his eyes, visible through clear lenses. His mouth twisted into an unnervingly familiar smirk.

"So, Sensei, what's been happening while I've been…indisposed?"

The mocking face and voice belonged to none other than Gendo Ikari!

Now:

Ritsuko had finally completed the preliminary tests on both corpse and killer. Both so far had proven maddeningly similar. She'd finally had to dig deep into the database, all the way back to GEHIRN records for the last recorded genetic scans on the Commander. She now waited impatiently for the MAGI to finish comparing the tissue samples to the previous data. A soft beep from the terminal signaled completion of the task.

Analysis complete. Data as follows:

Subject A, deceased. Percentage match-99.98. Variance found in gene matrices 798, 800

Subject B: Percentage match-100.

Probability of error: .000000009.

There could be no doubt. This was the thought racing through Dr. Akagi's mind, just before staggering into the lavoratory and throwing up violently. The one she thought was the Commander, her lover…was a clone!

A/N: Not quite sure where I'm going to go with this, so all suggestions helpful.


End file.
